What is the FILTER Function
The FILTER function returns only the rows from a range that meet a condition. The result is a dynamic array that automatically resizes. FILTER is available in Excel 365 and Excel 2021 and later.
Formula: =FILTER(array, include, [if_empty])
Practical Example 1
Data in A2:C100. Return rows where Sales in column C are greater than 1000.
Type: =FILTER(A2:C100, C2:C100>1000, No data)
Result: only the rows matching the condition
Practical Example 2
Filter by region and value at the same time.
Type: =FILTER(A2:C100, (A2:A100=Dhaka) * (C2:C100>500), No data)
Result: Dhaka rows with sales above 500
Practical Example 3
Combine FILTER with SORT to show sorted filtered results.
Type: =SORT(FILTER(A2:C100, C2:C100>1000, No data), 3, -1)
Result: filtered and sorted rows
When to Use It
FILTER is used for interactive dashboards, dynamic reports that update automatically, customer lists filtered by status, product lists filtered by category, and any report where you want only the matching rows to appear.